Stop motion device for knitting machines



14, 1944- N. J. TELLERMAN 2,362,781

STOP MOTION DEVICE FOR' KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 1. 1944 TN INVENTOR. 4 MTHHA/ YELLEKM/W a TToK/VEX Patented Nov. 14, 1944 STOP MOTION DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES Nathan J. Teller-man, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignmto Stop-Motion Devices Com, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 1, 1944, Serial No. 529,148

8 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a stop motion device.

More particularly, the invention proposes certain improvements in stop motion devices used above the thread feeds of a knitting machine. Heretofore, these stop motion devices lacked one important essential. They were not capable of indicating a break in the thread or yarn which occurred in the guide holes of the thread feeds in the knitting machine in the event that the thread or yarn became caught in the guide holes and remained taut. These conditions arise quite frequently. A knot, or lump or slub or large piece of fuzz comes down along with the thread or yarn and is too big to go through the guide hole of the thread feed. It gets jammed in the guide hole and then the thread cannot move. However, the knitting machine continues operating so that the needles pull and break the thread right behind the knot in the guide hole. A press-off results.

This invention particularly proposes providing the stop motion devices above the thread feeds with a restricting means for sweeping the thread or yarn and usually causing the thread or yarn to break at the point of restriction if a knot or lump comes along. This restricting means is 'wedgedike and knife-like in construction and is so located that a knot, 'lump or fuzz cannot pass and preferably cannot very well be caught and held by the constricting means. Consequently, when the thread or yarn breaks at the restriction means the thread or yarn will slacken above the thread feeds and the stop motion device at this location will function to stop the knitting machine. In this way the restriction means prevents the knot, lamp or slub from-being caught in the guide hole of one of the feeds of the knitting machine and cause a press-off.

Still further the invention proposed an exceptionally simple construction for the restriction means.

It is also proposed to adjustably mount said wedge-like restriction means so that it may be adjusted in relation to the thread or yarn to compensate for thicker or thinner thread or yarn.

The invention also contemplates an arrangement whereby the restricting means also serves as a guide for the thread or yarn and therefore eliminates the necessity of having the usual flange with the guide passages for the yarns which are located above the feeds of the knitting machine and thus saves the cost of a threading flange.

Still further the invention proposes associating a certain adjustable foot with a guide passage with the stop motion device to further facilitate in guiding the thread or yarn to the feeds of the knitting machine.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, and to the appended claims in which the. Various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawing forming a mavention, is used in conjunction with a stop mo-- tion switch device ID the details of which will not be given in this specification as they form no part of the invention.- The device It! has a resiliently urged operator arm l3 provided with a passage l4 for the thread or yarn l2. An arm l5 rigidly projects from the casing l6 of the stop motion switch device N). This arm l5 may be angularly adjusted by loosening the screw ll. Intermediate of its ends the arm I5 is provided with a bracket l8 having a pair of side walls 19 upon which guide passages ll for the thread or yarn l2 are arranged. These guide passages are in the nature of eyelets mounted through the side walls l9. A tensioning device 29 of standard construction is mounted upon the bracket Ill between the side walls l9 around which the thread or yarn l 2 passes for tensioning purposes. When the thread or yarnl2 becomes slack or becomes broken, the operator arm l3 will move from the full line position, illustrated in Fig. 1, to the dot and dash line position l3 which represents the position in which the stop motion switch device III will act to stop the knitting machine.

This invention proposes a restricting means 2| used in combination with the stop motion switch device l0 previously described above. This restricting means is in the nature of a strip of metal having a horizontal top portion 22 attached on the top of the casing l6 and continuing'into a downwardly and inwardly extending oblique portion 23 which continues into a bottom horizontal portion 24 attached to the bottom of the casing It. The top portion 22 is provided with a passage 25 portion 23. 7 nature of a metal slide.

formed by an eyelet mounted through the top portion 22. The oblique portion 23 is formed with a relatively large passage, 26 through which the thread or yarn I2 may pass freely. A restriction part 21'is adjustably mounted on the oblique This restriction part 21 is in the It is formed with a wedge-like passage 28 having its edges relatively sharp or knife-like. slidably mounted on the oblique part 23 by having its end portions 28 bent around the side edges of the oblique portion 23.

The arm I is also provided with an adjustably mounted foot 30 held in various angularly ad- Justed positions by-a screw 3|. This foot 30 is provided with a wall 82 having a passage 33 for the thread or yarn l2. The passage 33 is formed by an eyelet mounted through the wall 32.

It is intended that there be one new and improved stop motion device, in accordance with this invention, for each thread or yarn of the knitting machine. These stop motion devices are mounted upon the head 35 of the knitting machine, schematically illustrated in Fig. 1. It is pointed out that the casings it necessarily will be mounted radially around the axis of the head of the knitting machine, in line with the variousthread feeds to the needles of the knitting ma-- chine. For this reason the conventional flange with the eyelets generally used on the head and above the feeds of the knitting machine for guiding the threads or yarn to the thread feeds will no longer be needed. The thread or yarn I2 is shown extending downwards to one of the thread feeds 38 of the knitting machine, schematically illustrated. This thread feed 36 is provided with the guide hole 31 through which the thread or yarn l2 passes to reach the needles 38 of the knitting machine.

The operation of the device is as follows:

The knitting machine functions in the usual way. However, if a knot or lump or piece of slub comes down with the thread or yarn l2 from the spools, it will be arrested by the restriction means 2!. The restriction part 21 is so adjusted along the oblique portion 23 that the thread or yarn I2 is passing through the restricted portion of the wedge-like passage 28 without touching the sides. The restriction part may be slipped up or down to compensate for thicker or thinner thread or yarn. For this reason the restriction part 21 is continuously sweeping said thread or yarn. When a knot, lump or slub comes along it will be caught upon the sides of the wedge-like passage 28 and this arrests and stops said thread or yarn from movin any further. The pulling of the thread or yarn, by the knitting machine will break it, usually at the wedge-like passage 28, because the sides of the wedge-like passage are relatively sharp.

The broken thread or yarn after breaking may or may not be caught in the wedge-like passage 28. If the knot, lump or slub does not or does become caught in the wedge-like passage 28, the stop motion switch device ID will function nevertheless, because when the thread or yarn l2 breaks at the wedge-like passage 28, or at any point between the restriction part 21 and the guide hole 31, the thread or yarn l2 which holds down the resiliently upwardly urged operator arm l3 will become loose and slack. This releases the operator arm l3 which then is free to rise to the dot and dash line position I3, which causes the stop motion switch device to function to stop the knitting machine.

The restriction part 21 is 2,362,781 for the thread or yarn l2. This passage 25 is From the above it is obvious that the stop motion switch device in with the restriction means 2l-will prevent a knot, lump or slub from being caught in a guide hole 31 of the feeds of the knitting machine, which, if this did occur, would result in a press-of! without the stop motion switch device operating. When desired the restriction part 21 may be moved to the bottom of the oblique portion 23 which constitutes an inoperative position because the thread or yarn is then far away.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scopeof the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a stop motion switch device and guides for the passage of the thread or yarn, a restricting means for said thread or yarn for sweeping the thread or yarn and probably causing the thread or yarn to break at the point of restriction if a knot or lump comes along, comprising a member having a relatively large passage for the thread or yarn to pass through, and a restriction part for location along said member and having a wedge-like passage for location close to the side of said thread or yarn to sweep loose slub and lumps off the thread or yarn and to catch, stop or hold knots and tight lumps for causing the thread or yarn to probably break at the restriction part.

2. In combination with a stop motion switch device and guides for the passage of the thread or yarn, a restricting means for said thread or yarn for sweeping the thread or yarn and probably causing the thread or yarn to break at the point of restriction if a knot or lump comes along, comprising a member having a relatively large passage for the thread or yarn to pass through, and a restriction part for location along said member and having a wedge-like passage for location close to the side of said thread or yarn to sweep loose slub and, lumps off the thread or yarn and to catch, stop or hold knots and tight lumps for causing the thread or yarn to probably break at the restriction part, said wedge-like passage having its side edges knife-like in character.

3. In combination with a stop motion switch device and guides for the passage ofthe thread or yarn, a restricting means for said thread or yarn for sweeping the thread or yarn and probably causing the thread or yarn to break at the point of restriction if a knot or lump comes along, comprising a member having a relatively large passage for the thread or yarn to pass through, and a restriction part for location along said member and having a wedge-like passage for location close to the side of said thread or yarn to sweep loose slub and lumps off the thread or yarn and to catch, stop or hold knots and tight lumps for causing the thread or yarn to probably break at the restriction part, said restriction part being slidably mounted on said member.

4. In combination with a stop motion switch device and guides for the passage of the thread or yarn, a restricting means for said thread or yarn for sweeping the thread or yarn and probably causing the thread or yarn to break at the point of restriction if a knot or lump comes along, comprising a member having a relatively large passage for the thread or yarn to pass through, and a restriction part for location along said member and having a wedge-like passage for location close to the side of said thread or yarn to sweep loose slub and lumps on the thread or yarn and to catch, stop or hold knots and tight lumps for causing the thread or yarn to probably break at the restriction part, said restriction part being in the nature of a metal strip having its ends bent around theedges of said member by which it is slidably mounted o that it may be placed in a proper position-in relation to said.

thread or yarn.

5. In combination with a stop motion switch device having a casing, an arm with guide means for the thread or. yarn projecting from said casing, a strip mounted on said casing and having a straight portion formed with a guide passage for the threador yarn and an oblique portion formed with a relatively large passage of said thread or yarn, and a restriction part for location along said oblique portion and having a wedge-like passage for location close to the side of said thread or yarn to sweep loose 'slub and lumps ofi the thread or yarn and to catch and hold or stop knots and tight lumps for causing the thread or yarn to probably break at the restriction part.

6. In combination with a stop motion switch device having a casing, an arm with guide means for the thread or yarn projecting from said casing, a strip mounted on said casing and having a traight portion formed with a guide passage for the thread or yarn and an oblique portion formed with'arelatively large passage of said thread or yarn, and a restriction part for location along said oblique portion and having a wedge-like passage for location close to the side of said thread or yarn to sweep loose slub and lumps oi! the thread or yarn and to catch and hold or stop knots and tight lumps for causing the thread or yarn to probably break at the restriction part, said restriction part comprising a metal strip having its ends bent around the edges of said oblique portion.

7. In combination with a stop motion switch device having a casing, an arm with guide means for the thread or yarn'projecting from said casing, a strip mounted on, said casing and having a straight portion formed with a guide passage for the thread or yarn and an oblique portion formed with a relatively large passage of said thread or yarn, and a restriction part for location along said oblique portion and having a wedge-like passage for location close to the side of said thread or yarn to sweep loose slab and lumps of! the thread or yarn and to catch and hold or stop knots and tight lumps for causing the thread or yarn to probably break-at the restriction part, said restriction part having the edges of said wedge-like passage knife-like in character. t

8. In combination with a stop motion-switch device having a casing, an arm with guide means for the thread or yarn projecting from said casing, a strip mounted on said' casing and having a straight portion formed with a guide passage for the thread or yarn and an oblique portion formed with a relatively large passage of said thread or yarn, and a restriction'part for location along said oblique portion and having a wedge-like passage for location close to the side of said thread or yarn to sweep loose slub and lumps off the thread or yarn and tocatch and hold or stop knots and tight lumps for causing the thread or yarn to probably break at the restriction part, said restriction part being slidably mounted along said oblique portion.

NATHAN J. TELLERMAN. 

